Are you ready for a visit to Japan?

Learn Japanese fast! You are almost ready for sightseeing in Japan! There are just a few additional important concepts to master and then you are good to go! You may need to ask questions like “Can I walk there?” and “When is the bus coming?” Because it’s so important, you’ll also want to review ways of talking about the formal and informal Japanese verbs and tense. That is exactly what you will find in this amazing article on Japanese for beginners. Start by learning some useful vocabulary words, including takusan (“a lot and aruku (“walk”). Below is a review of essential Japanese concepts, including periods of time and negative forms of verbs, both formal and informal. This Japanese article contains some of the most important information so far. Do not miss it!

Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:

Daibutsu – “a large Buddha statue”
jiyu-jikan – “free time”
zannen – “pity, regrettable, deplorable”
takusan – “a lot a lot a lot”
aruki – “a walk, walking”
kurai / gourai – “approximately, about”
hasedera – “Hasedera Temple”
desukara – “Thus”
hotelu – “hotel”
roku jikan – “six o’clock”
Daitai – “about, approximately”
Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:
Vocabulary and useful phrases

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takusan – “a lot a lot a lot“
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Note that quantity words like takusan (“a lot and choto (“a little, a few”) can precede or follow the direct object.

For example:

1. Jiyuu-jikan ga takusan arimasu.
2. Jiyuu-jikan ga choto arimasu.
3. takusan jiyu-jikan ga arimasu.
4. choto jiyu-jikan ga arimasu.

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aruki – “walking, we walk”
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aruki is a noun form of the verb aruku (“walk”). Toho it also means “to walk” or “on foot”.

Means of transportation can be described in the following format:

[Transportation] [de] / “in transport”
[kuruma de] / “by car”
[basu de] / “by bus”
[takushii de] / “in taxi”
[densha de] / “by train”
[chikatestu de] / “by subway”
[jitensha de] / “cycling”
[aruki de] / “we soccer”
[toho de] / “we soccer”
*aruite also means “on foot”.

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Example
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1. (Watashi wa) mainichi gakkoo made aruki from ikimasu. “I walk to school every day.” Literal translation: I go to soccer school.
2. Aruki from juppun gurai desu. “It’s about a ten minute walk.”

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gourai
goro
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Although both words mean “approximation”, we cannot always use them interchangeably.

The basic rules are…

1. [quantity / period (duration) of time / specific point of time ] + gourai Prayed kurai
2. [specific point of time ] + goro

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Example
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1. [quantity] + gurai Takushii by happyaku-en gourai from his “It’s about 800 yen to go by taxi.”
2. [time period] + gurai Uchi kara kaisha did juppun gourai from his “It’s about ten minutes from home to work.”
3. [specific time] + gurai Prayed goro Maiasa, juuji gourai neither kaisha nor ikimasu. Maiasa, juuji goro neither kaisha nor ikimasu. “I go to work around ten every morning.”
4. Rainen, gogatsu gourai ni kekkon shimasu. Rainen, gogatsu goro nor kekkon shimasu. “I’m getting married in May of next year.”

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Grammar review
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In this article, we will review:

1. Period (duration) of time (minutes and hours)
2. Negative forms of verbs (formal and informal)

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Roku-jikan gurai arimasu.
We have about six hours.
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Time durations: watch Nihongo Doojoo: “Welcome to Style You” Article 18
Hours and Minutes

Hour meter: -jikan
Minute counter: –funny can Prayed -funny

Hours / Japanese / Minutes
one / ichijikan / ippun (may)
two / nor jikan / it’s not funny (may)
3 / san jikan / saint pun (may)
4 / I jikan / very funny (may)
5 / go jikan / Have fun (may)
6 / roku jikan / roppun (may)
7 / shichi jikan, nana-jikan / girl-fun (may)
8 / hachijikan / going (may)
9 / kujikan / kuu-fun (may)
10 / juu-jikan / Juppun (may)
How much? / nanjikan / no pun (may)

*For half an hour, it sanjuppun (may), but no hankan.
*For an hour and a half, it’s ichijikanhan, goal NOT ichi jinan hankan.

Compared:

1. ni-ji gojuu san-pun – “2:53” ni-jikan gojuu san-pun – “2 hours and 53 minutes”
2. go hee han – “half past five” go jikan han – “five hours and a half”

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practice
Answer the following questions in Japanese..
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From where you live now…

1. Kuukoo did dono kurai desu ka.
2. Tookyoo did dono kurai desu ka.
3. Ginkoo did dono kurai desu ka.

* donokurai means, “how long”.
* kuukoo means “airport”.
* ginkgo means “bank”.

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“We are not going to Kamakura Daibutsu.”
Formal: kamakura Daibutsu e wa ikimasen.
informal: kamakura Daibutsu e wa ikanai.
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negative form of a verb

For more information on:

• formal negative: watch Nihongo Doojoo: “Welcome to Style You”, item 24
• Casual Negative watch Nihongo Doojoo: “Beginner Series Season 4: Meet the Parents”, Items 23 & 24

verb conjugation

Formal negative form of a verb:

• Exchange -masu for -more in.

Informal negative form of a verb:

• Class 1 verbs – Change the final –an for-was born
• Class 2 verbs – Change the final –you for-born
• Class 3 Verbs – Irregular: Of course becomes shinai, kuru becomes konai

Exception

• verbs that end in Hiragana-u – tea -you becomes wanai
• Verb aru (“to exist”) – The negative form of aru it is bornNOT aranai.

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Class 1 verbs
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“English” / informal plain / Casual Negative / Simple Formal / formal negative
*”purchase” / kaw / kawaii / kaimasu / Kaimasen
“to go” / iku / ikanai / ikimasu / ikimasen
“to talk” / hanasoo / hanasanai / hanashimasu / hanahimasen
“stand” / tattoo / Tatanai / tachimasu / tachimasen
“To die” / Shinu / Shinanai / Shinimasu / Shinimasen
“to drink” / Name / nomanai / nomimasu / nomism
“to ride” / noru / noranai / norimasu / norimasen
“exist” (inanimate) / aru / born / arimasu / arimasen

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Class 2 verbs
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“English” / informal plain / Casual Negative / Simple Formal / formal negative
“to eat” / taberu / Tabenai / tabemasu / tabemasen
“exist” (animated) / goru / inai / imasu / imagine

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Class 3 verbs
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“English” / informal plain / Casual Negative / simple formal / formal negative
“to do” / Of course / shinai / shimasu / shimasen
“come” / kuru / konai / kimasu / kimasen

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practice
Fill in the blanks to complete the chart.
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“English” / informal plain / Casual Negative / Simple Formal / formal negative
“meet up” / for / ___ / ___ / ___
“to return” /___/___/ kaerimasu / ___
“for study” / suru benkyoo / ___ / ___ / ___
“to think” /___/ Kangaenai /___/ kangaemasen
“to turn” /___/ magaranai / ___ / ___
“to stop” / tomeru / ___ / ___ / ___
“bring” (something) / motte kuru /___/ motte kimasu / ___
“bring” (someone) /___/ konai /___/ tsuretekimasen

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Formal and Informal Speech
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1. “Are you going to study Japanese tonight?” formal question: Konya nihono-go or benkyoo shimasu ka. Informal question: Konya nihono-go, benkyoo(o)suru?
2. “No I’m not.” formal answer: i.e. shimasen. Informal answer: Uun, shinai.]
3. “Do you smoke?” Formal: Tobacco or suimasu ka. informal: Tobacco(o)su?
4. “Do not.” Formal: That is, suimase. informal: Uun, suwanai.